With the finals looming a fortnight away, NZ Warriors will be sweating over the fitness of Luke Metcalf, after the half limped off injured during Friday's win over St George Dragons.
Getting to his feet after an attempted tackle, Metcalf threw his head back in frustration as headed towards the sideline clutching his hamstring in the 41st minute, prompting immediate fears he'd reaggravated the issue that saw him miss the first 12 weeks of the Warriors' 2023 campaign.
Coach Andrew Webster put on his best poker face after the game, insisting they'd need to wait until scans could take place later in the week to determine the severity of the injury.
He offered one silver lining with confirmation the injury is to the opposite hamstring to the one which delayed the start of his Warriors tenure.
"He went to make the tackle, and he turned and felt it," Webster said.
"It's not the one he's done in the past. It's his other side, so it's the first time he's done that one. If there's anything good out of a bad situation, that's probably good news.
"We'll just wait and see…. we actually don't know anymore until he gets scans.
"We'll wait for the swelling goes down until we do that so we can see what the can looks like properly."
Up until his departure, the Australian had been one of the best on the park for the hosts, as he continued to level up both the quality of his own play and his combination with halves partner Shaun Johnson on a weekly basis.
While his loss would be keenly felt heading into the team's first post-season berth since 2018, the imminent return of Te Maire Martin offers some consolation and could scarcely have been better timed.
Recovered from the broken leg that's ruled him out since round seven, Martin - the first-choice No.6 before suffering his injury - was named in the extended bench for Friday's first-grade clash but ultimately wasn't included in the matchday 17.
He'll turn out for the Warriors NSW Cup side on Saturday and would significantly ease any blow felt by a potential Metcalf absence.
In more positive news, centre Rocco Berry has been cleared of any long-term injury after his night was cut short by a knee strain in the first half at Go Media Stadium on Friday.
Webster confirms Berry had been cleared by medical staff to return to the action, but was held back in favour of using the interchanges for the Warriors' forward pack.
"He could've returned, he wanted to return and the medical team thought he could," said Webster. "We just needed to use those subs on our middle rotation.
"We were close to putting him on on a couple of occasions but we needed to make sure we prioritised that."
With a top-four finish cemented, the Warriors will chase a club record-equalling eighth consecutive win against Dragons next Saturday in their final match of the regular season.
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